Lead Dust and Heavy Metals
Do You Ventilate Your Home?
Do You Ventilate Your Home?
What did I notice when I first started assessing homes? I discovered something that surprised me – and still does. A vast number of people don’t ventilate their homes.
This means, that in many cases they rarely (or never) open windows and doors to air the place out.
Why is this a problem?
Put simply, it means that everything builds up. Statistics have shown that the indoor air can be anywhere from 5-10 times MORE polluted that the outdoor air!
The indoor air is not diluted, which can result in dangerous levels of indoor air contaminants, including the deadly carbon monoxide.
If you use pesticides, including plug-ins, the levels of neurotoxins will build up.
It means that levels of volatile organic compounds build up – this is obviously made worse with the use of “air fresheners,” scented reeds and the like.
It means that moisture builds up – from bathing and cooking, but also breathing and perspiring. This can create the right environment for mould to flourish.
*Every day* open your windows and doors to exchange the air.
Sleep: Why Is it So Important?
Do you struggle to get a good night’s sleep?
Many people do these days, and this can have a bigger impact that just feeling sleepy all day, or perhaps being on the caffeine-cycle. Ironically, according to apps on our devices, there is an “insomnia epidemic.”
When you are tired, you don’t function so well – your mood is off, your tolerance levels are down, you are easily agitated or stressed. As well, over time, this can deplete you and your immunity is also affected.
Why is Sleep so Important?
Sleep is incredibly important as it is the time that we heal and recover from our day – in preparation for the next day. Sleep is when we detoxify, when we create melatonin (a hormone which has an antioxidant effect) and when we rest.
It is one of the most important physiological functions we do, in my opinion.
What Affects Sleep?
There are many factors that can impact sleep. Some of these are:
- Stress
- Eating too late
- Caffeine
- Conversation
- Poor sleep hygiene
- Environmental stressors
Did You Know…?
Did you know that if you use your device for two hours in the evening that it affects the quality of your sleep; melatonin production; your mood, attention and accuracy the following day?
Research links this to the short-wave light emitted from the LED lights inside our devices (Green, et al, 2017). I wonder if there is more to it, and the use of these devices on wi-fi or 3G/4G/5G is also playing a role.
What Can I Do to Improve My Sleep?
I am going to focus purely on environmental stressors here…
1) Promote melatonin production – ensure your bedroom is dark. If this isn’t possible, it would be worth using an eye shade.
2) Reduce the radio frequency electromagnetic energy (RF EME) – turn off your mobile phone and wi-fi router
3) Reduce indoor air contaminants – remove scented reeds and candles from your bedroom
4) Minimise exposure to allergens – use a silk pillowcase to reduce issues with house dust mites (HDM)
5) Reduce your exposure to biotoxins – address any mould in your home
Still Concerned?
References
Green, A, Cohen-Zion, M, Haim, A & Dagan, Y (2017) Evening Light Exposure to Computer Screens Disrupts Human Sleep, Biological Rhythms and Attention Abilities Chronobiology International (Online) Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2017.1324878 (May 2017)
#sleep #indoorenvironmentalhealth #environmentalstressors
Carbon Monoxide – Beware This Silent Killer
As winter approaches, it is a great time to be having appliances serviced and checked for problems; as well, ensuring that flues are vented to the exterior and that there are no blockages.
There are many things to be thinking about, and today, I wanted to share this with you to prevent issues, and potentially deaths.
Carbon Monoxide – A Silent Killer
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless gas. It is deadly.
It is a combustion gas and can easily build up in the home.
Another common contributor is car exhaust.
CO Poisoning: Health Effects and Symptoms
CO has an affinity for haemoglobin and thus it easily disrupts oxygen transportation within the body.
- flu-like symptoms
- fatigue
- headaches
- dizziness
- nausea and vomiting
- confusion and impaired cognitive functioning
- tachycardia (rapid heartbeat)
Heath practitioners need to be alert to CO poisoning mimicking influenza – and include this in their differential diagnosis when the whole household is exhibiting these symptoms.
Steps to Prevent CO Poisoning
- Have all gas appliances serviced annually and checked for faults and defects
- Check the flames – are they blue? Great. Are they yellow/orange? Call your gas company as this is a sign that the gas is nor burning properly.
- Only use gas heaters that are flued and vented to the exterior
- Use the extractor fan when cooking on a gas stove top
- Keep your windows ajar to dilute the indoor air
- Avoid idling the car in the garage or near windows
- If you have a garage attached to your house, be sure to close the door and seal it well, and never idle the car in the garage
- Also, ensure that windows are closed when the car is idled in the driveway
- Avoid opening your windows during peak hour traffic (or school pick up and drop off), especially if you live near a busy road
Prevention is Better Than Cure
#carbonmonoxide #gases #environmentalhealth #buildingbiology #gasappliances
Sick Building Syndrome: Is Your Workplace Healthy?
“Sick Building Syndrome” is a term that has been around for a few decades to explain how and why people are affected by their buildings. As a building biologist, I am frequently assessing the health of buildings (whether they are sick or not) and how they may impact upon the health of the occupants – be that at home or at work.
Guest author Jennifer Bennett discusses sick building syndrome in relation to the workplace.
Sick Building Syndrome: Is Your Workplace Healthy?
Does it sometimes seem like everyone in your office is coming down with something?
Are you and your colleagues constantly coughing and sniffling, or complaining of headaches, dizziness and nausea?
Or perhaps you’re just really tired all the time?
And yet, when 5 o’clock rolls around and you’re on your way home, you start to feel a lot better.
You might be thinking that you just hate being at work!
Could it be more..?
However, there may be something other than burnout or a bad bout of the flu to blame.
If you’re experiencing odd symptoms that disappear when you go home, your building may well have a case of Sick Building Syndrome.
This is a somewhat mysterious condition that causes general feelings of ill health in occupants of a building, including headaches, aches and pains, skin irritation, fatigue and shortness of breath.
The precise causes of Sick Building Syndrome haven’t been identified, but the general consensus is that it’s a symptom of environmental problems within a building.
People first started reporting Sick Building Syndrome in the 1970s, when economic pressures and oil embargoes forced architects and engineers to design more airtight office buildings to cut energy costs.
As a direct result, indoor air quality drastically worsened, as polluted air became trapped in buildings rather than being recirculated outside.
Chemical pollutants such as VOCs and biological contaminants such as mould then gradually rose in concentration, resulting in the health problems in employees that we now call Sick Building Syndrome.
Poorly designed ventilation systems also resulted in uncomfortable temperatures and high humidity levels, which can further encourage mould growth.
What is the Impact?
A poor working environment doesn’t just have health implications – it can also have a profound economic impact on businesses.
Sick Building Syndrome drastically reduces productivity, with poor indoor air quality estimated to cost employers around $15 billion a year in worker inefficiency and sick leave.
It’s also been noticed that Sick Building Syndrome is most common in open plan offices, and it’s unlikely to be a coincidence that employees in open plan offices also take on average 62% more sick days than those in cellular offices.
It’s clear that something needs to be done.
This infographic…
Paint Inspection have designed this infographic to tell you everything you need to know about this important topic.
Covering everything from the symptoms and causes, to the costs to businesses and some actionable solutions, we’re sure you’ll leave this blog feeling more equipped to deal with your unhealthy office building!
About the Author
Jennifer Bennett is the Content Writer at Paint Inspection, a UK-based coating inspection and surveying company.
Scented Reeds And Candles: My Opinion
What do I think of Scented Reeds and Candles?
Scented reeds and candles – peh! I have thought a lot about scented reeds and candles …and my opinion is very low.
Scented reeds and candles contain a cocktail of chemicals to make the “fragrance.” Many of these ingredients are known or suspected lung irritants (and remember, you are breathing these in) and some also contain suspected carcinogens (meaning that they may cause cancer).
Many candles are made from paraffin – a petrochemical.
Most of them contain wicks that contain lead.
Safer alternatives include:
- opening windows to freshen the air instead
- using unscented candles or even salt lamps for ambience
- source candles that have lead-free wicks (remember, as a consumer, you have power, so ask your favourite companies… you will get the ball of change rolling)
- if you tolerate essential oils (and many people don’t) then you can get scented candles that are fragranced with essential oils instead of chemicals
- avoid incense
- seek out non-GM soy candles – avoid palm oil (environment) and beeswax (for the bees)
For information about air fresheners (and scented reeds and candles do fall into this category, you may like to view this…
As well, there are a number of posts that explain fragrances in more detail:
And of course, if you would like assistance with reducing your exposure to chemicals and other hazards in your home or workplace, let me know.
House Dust Mites are Everywhere
House Dust Mites (HDM) are Everywhere!
House dust mites are tiny, opaque, feast on skin cells and love to live in mattresses, with their population being three times higher in a mattress as compared to a carpet. They are so small that around 50 HDM can fit onto the head of a pin.
HDM can trigger symptoms for people – interestingly, it is actually the protein in their faeces, not the mite themselves that cause problems.
According to Better Health Channel, HDM can trigger wheezing, coughing, breathlessness, a tight feeling in the chest, runny nose, itchy nose, itchy eyes, itchy skin, skin rashes.
Health
Even in people who aren’t allergic to HDM faeces, their existing asthma may be exacerbated and they can experience chronic bronchial hyper-reactivity.
For those affected, this can be a year-long problem (that is, it isn’t seasonal), symptoms are worse at night or upon waking, symptoms may be relieved when humidity is lower.
What They Need to Thrive
HDM are unable to drink – so they rely on a humid or moist environment to keep them hydrated. They need the relative humidity to be over 40%.
They need a warm environment and thrive when temperatures remain at or above 24oC.
Food in the form of animal and human skin cells, pollens, microbes.
They love mattresses for all of these reasons, they are warm, moist and full of skin cells (food).
10 tips for managing house dust mites (HDM):
- Keep your home clean – use damp microfibre cloths and water to collect dust, not just move it from surface to surface
- Pull back the covers on your bed each day and allow it to air and dry out
- Vacuum your mattress regularly to reduce the HDM population
- Mop your home using a microfibre mop to collect dust
- Consider silk bedding – HDM don’t like anything excreted by other insects
- Consider HDM-resistant bedding – fabric that is tightly woven, and thus the HDM can’t fit through them
- Wash bedding (sheets and pillow cases) as well as night clothes weekly
- Replace mattresses every 10 years
- Maintain relative humidity to between 40-60% – and a dehumidifier can be key in this process
- Use vacuum-storage bags to store clothes (ones that are vacuumed to keep compress them
Vacuum Cleaners
Vacuum Cleaners. What to look for in a good one…
With the enormous range of vacuum cleaners on the market, how do you choose what is best for your needs?
Is the price the best way to determine? What else should you consider?
Is it enough to get one that sucks – or will it suck?
How do you know?
In this video, I explain what to look for when you are considering vacuum cleaners.
What to Consider When Looking for a New Vacuum Cleaner
Vacuum cleaners are an important part of our cleaning practices, and it is important to get a good one.
That said, there are vast differences between the models on the markets, as well as staggeringly different price ranges.
What To Look For
1. TURBO HEAD
A turbo head means that the brush is powered electrically and can “thump” the carpet to loosen dirt that has lodged further down in the pile. A powered head is one that is “powered” by the air passing by as it sucks – this is a less powerful option, but better than neither.
2. HEPA FILTER
Ensure that the vacuum cleaner has a genuine HEPA filter in it. A HEPA filter is designed to capture the dust that would ordinarily come out of the vacuum cleaner – it prevents that act of vacuuming from being just an exercise in dust recirculation. Originally it was just for people with allergies, nowadays it is a common feature.
3. BAGGED OR BAGLESS
This will depend on whether the person who would empty it has dust mite allergies or not. If they do, a disposable bag is less risky. If not, environmentally, a bagless is better as it creates less waste, and it is less ongoing expenses without bags.
4. BARREL OR UPRIGHT
This is about choice – what do you prefer to use? What sort of storage space do you have?
Whichever one you choose, make sure it will suit your purposes and not be so heavy that it is difficult to manage.
5. CARPET AND/OR HAND FLOORS
Make sure that the vacuum cleaner you choose matches the floor coverings you have. Some on the lower end of the scale are only suitable for carpets, whilst others may only suit hard floors. If you only have hard floors, check reviews (such as Choice magazine or online forums) in terms of how they behave. In the past, there have been issues with many vacuum cleaners actually scratching or damaging floorboards.
6. TELESCOPIC WANDS AND TOOLS
Accessories and features such as these can be excellent. If the price excludes you from these optional extras, a damp microfibre cloth is a great cleaning option.
Cleaning Tips
Research was done by Dr Peter Dingle who found that a quick vacuum over your floors was not enough to get a good clean happening.
It is important to spend good minute on every 1m square of carpet. By doing this just once every six weeks, you will be cleaning your carpets far better than if you did a quick vacuum over the house every week.
That is a lot of time in one small area, and if your house is fully carpeted, then you will be spending a LOT of time vacuuming.
What I recommend:
- Create a list which sequences the carpeted rooms in your house
- Each week, vacuum one room “in detail” – and lightly vacuum (as you used to) the other rooms
- Rotate the focus room each week
In this way, all of your carpets get a thorough vacuum, and you don't spend every waking moment vacuuming 😉
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